THE mother of a Farnham teenager who died after taking an illegal drug has vowed to return to her counselling work and continue the fight against drug and alcohol abuse.

Heartbroken Trudy Barker spoke to the News & Mail following the death of her son Charlie, 18, who inhaled what was believed to be the hallucinogenic drug 2C-E during a rave at Chobham Common.

His mother, an ex-counsellor for the Surrey Drugs and Alcohol Service, said she wanted to return to the profession in the future as a result of her loss.

"Out of Charlie's death, my passion to help people with drug problems has grown," she said.

"Charlie could always tell me anything, our lines of communication were very open.

"It is the most heartbreaking thing about being a parent - there comes a time when you have to let them make their own decisions and you just hope they are the right ones.

"One split decision at a party has led to this and I would urge anybody out there to please just say no to drugs."

Mrs Barker gave up her counselling work to become a full-time mother.

She said: "My children have always come first and they will continue to come first."

'Totally untested'

But she acknowledged that teenagers desperately need more education to understand why they must refuse drugs.

"Realising that you should say no is not enough - people need to know the reasons behind it.

"This type of drug has killed people before and it is because these teens do not know what they are putting inside themselves.

"It might not be what you think. These drugs are made by people who do not know what they are doing."

Superintendent Matt Goodridge, from Surrey Police, said Charlie's death was "an absolute tragedy" and agreed that a major problem was a lack of knowledge over substance abuse.

"We do not know what exactly is in the types of drugs which we suspect were being used at the party," he said.

"The really scary thing with so-called 'legal highs' is that they might not be prohibited in law but they are still extremely dangerous because they are totally untested.

"Some of these drugs could actually be more harmful than heroin simply because their dangers are unknown and undocumented, and the fact is we just don't know."

Charlie died at around 10.15am on Sunday (February 24). He had been attending an unauthorised party the night before in a tunnel under the M3 at Chobham Common.

Bolt croppers

Surrey Wildlife Trust, which runs the common, confirmed it had no prior knowledge of the "unauthorised event".

A spokesman said: "The trust does not permit such activities on its sites. The individuals involved used bolt croppers to gain access to the area where the party took place.

"We are saddened to learn of this tragedy and will assist the police with their inquiries into this matter."

Peter Higgs, chairman of the Chobham Common Preservation Society, said the last such party held on the site was many years ago.

He added: “There is never any permission given for parties, and we do not welcome anything like that, it hurts the common and in this case an individual - it is very sad.”

A post-mortem examination has failed to establish a cause of death and toxicology tests will now be conducted.

The 18-year-old graffiti artist had been enjoying a Media Studies course at Farnham College while working as a much-loved employee at the fish shop, Traditional Plaice, in Downing Street.

Many of Charlie's tutors have been in touch to commend his art work. His youth worker Venice Sinnott described him as "a lovely, conscientious boy" and said she was "very proud to have had the privilege of working with him".

She added: "Charlie was a victim of recreational drugs and a lack of support from the education system. I am so shocked and his death is a tragedy."

'Inspiration'

Mike Ellis, a trustee of the Farnham youth centre 40 Degreez, said: "Charlie was a well-respected and likeable lad, very much a part of the organisation and a friend of 40 Degreez. He will be missed."

Mrs Barker added that her son "loved spending Sundays with his mum and having roast dinners as a family",

She added: "Charlie touched so many people, friends I didn't even know about. It has been like a ripple effect. One girl messaged me to say she had been bullied at school and Charlie had stepped in to put a stop to it. He was an inspiration."

And Charlie’s sister Ellen, 15, said her brother “had an amazing smile” and added “nobody had a bad word to say about him”.

A 20-year-old man from Gloucestershire and an 18-year-old woman from Bristol were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and supplying controlled drugs. They have been released on bail until March 9.